Vehicular lamp

• US 20040178737A1
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Ito, Masayasu, Takeda, Hitoshi
• Application Number:
  US10/797,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20040178737A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/77
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2603 Attenuation of the light according to ambient luminiosity, e.g. for braking or direction indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2696 Mounting of devices using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/054 Variable non-standard intensity, i.e. emission of various beam intensities different from standard intensities, e.g. continuous or stepped transitions of intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/116 Vehicle at a stop
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/146 Abnormalities, e.g. fail-safe
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/30 Daytime running lights [DRL], e.g. circuits or arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/18 using temperature feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3725 Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

A vehicular lamp used for a vehicle, includes a semiconductor light emitting element for generating light to be emitted by the vehicular lamp and a current controlling unit for changing a current supplied to the semiconductor light emitting element based on the speed of the vehicle. The current controlling unit may reduce the current, if the speed of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined speed. The current controlling unit may reduce the current, if the vehicle is stopped.

Claims

1. A vehicular lamp used for a vehicle, comprising:

a semiconductor light emitting element for generating light used for said vehicular lamp; and

a current controlling unit for changing a current supplied to said semiconductor light emitting element based on brightness around said vehicle.

2. A vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein said current controlling unit reduces said current, if said brightness around said vehicle is higher than a predetermined level.

3. A vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 2, wherein said current controlling unit reduces said current, if said vehicle is stopped.